Wild Island Life: Isle of Canna

Incentive planners are always looking for experiences that are unique, authentic and memorable; an adventure that will remain in the guests’ minds forever. Hello Scotland loves a challenge and we feel that we have found something special for the intrepid incentive group whose desire is to go ‘on a path less travelled’.

Blue waters off the Isle of Canna

Boasting stunning scenery, a temperate climate and a sheltered harbour, the Isle of Canna is the most westerly of the small isles of the Inner Hebrides and also one of the most hospitable. Along with its smaller neighbour Sanday, Canna has been a site of continuous settlement for 9,000 years and the two islands are now linked by a footbridge. Canna is only 7 kilometers long and 1.5 kilometers wide with a population of just 12! The Isle of Canna is in the care of the National Trust for Scotland and was gifted by its then owner John Lorne Campbell who was historian, farmer, environmentalist and folklore scholar. John Lorne Campbell insisted that Canna was run as a farm with a traditional Hebridean community and that what makes this place magical. Canna is home to a small but hard working community dedicated to improving rural life on this remote Island. There are many community initiatives ongoing, testimony to a neighbourly spirit of working together and supporting each other.

John Lorne Campbell: the man who gave his island away

Known as ‘the garden of the Hebrides’, Canna has fertile soils, green meadows and abundant wildlife. It has been recognised as a bird sanctuary since 1938 and supports over 20,000 breeding seabirds, including puffins, razorbills and guillemots. For a tiny island, there is an amazing amount of things to do and see on Canna; whether the group’s interest is in nature, history or culture. Canna has an abundance of wild flora too, not to mention over 1,000 sites of historic interest with a rich Gaelic heritage. Activities and for an incentive group would be relaxed and traditional; long bracing walks, horse trekking, sailing, sea kayaking, mini highland games, picnics and with traditional Scottish music, storytelling and whisky tasting of an evening. Canna House was the home of John Lorne Campbell and his wife Margaret Fay Shaw; an American musician contains more than 900 items, including diaries, photographs, music, original letters and manuscripts so anyone in the group can absorb even more of the island’s history if they wish.

Afternoon tea with a view at Tighard Guest House

There is a tearoom/restaurant on the island along with a Community Shop at the pier selling local crafts, fresh local produce, teas, coffees and light refreshments. The choices for accommodation are a ‘bothy’ (traditionally estate workers’ cottages or shelters which are open to anyone) along with two other self-catering options. In addition the Tighard Guest House offers cosy but stylish accommodation along with home cooking and baking.

The Tearoom and Bothy

For any adventurous incentive looking for a ‘wild’ incentive, the Isle of Canna is really a remarkable place. Anyone visiting this island leaves with a first hand experience of a true Scottish community and its hospitality; something genuinely unique (a rather overused term these days).